The First One
by Lingua Dii
Summary: Blake's son is finally born, and someone is already coming for him. Will Blake be able to save his son? Sequel of "Legends". Rated T for language.
1. Enemies

After Liz's revelation, Blake became concerned. He was unsure what kind of being would be born from his union with a Gardevoir. He was also scared that the power his child would possess would make him a target for those who had already tried to control him when he was younger.  
Instead of keeping his concerns a secret, he told Liz about them and cited his true parentage as a reason for them. Liz, in turn, revealed that she already knew about Blake's secret.

"Seriously?" Blake asked. "For how long?"  
"Ever since I met you."  
"Why didn't you say anything?"  
"Why didn't **you**?"  
"I..."

Blake didn't know what to say. After waiting for him to say something, Liz realized she had to take the initiative.

"Look... Whatever happened is in the past now. All that matters is... our baby."

Blake and Liz looked at the egg, and, as if it knew it was being talked about, it started moving. It rolled all around the room, before coming to a stop near its parents. Blake picked up the egg and rubbed it gently. It felt and looked just like any egg Blake had ever encountered, but he could feel that the child within was already learning.

"...You're right, Liz. Look, I'm going to take this egg to Max, alright?"  
"What for?"  
"Maybe he can see inside it using aura or something. Find out more about it."  
"Is that safe?"  
"Absolutely. It's just measuring what kind of energy the egg is emitting."  
"Alright... But make sure to protect it, OK?"  
"Always. I'll guard it with my life."

Blake kissed Liz and left, headed for Max's house.

* * *

Blake and the egg arrived just as Max was about to leave. He was carrying four baskets, heading toward the forest, but stopped as soon as he spotted Blake.

"Hey, bro! I see the egg is out of Liz."  
"Yeah... I wanted to ask you to sense its aura and see what we're dealing with."  
"Alright. Put the egg on the ground."

Blake did as Max asked and the Lucario closed his eyes. He focused for a little while and glanced at the egg. What he saw could only be described as an enormous amount of pure energy being emitted from the egg in all directions; brighter and far more powerful than the sun or anything Max had ever seen before. In particular, more powerful than Blake. Max opened his eyes again and panted from awe.

"What is it?"  
"That... egg... I've never seen anything like it. It has... a golden aura."  
"Is that good?"  
"Well, until I sensed your aura for the second time, I had only seen blue aura."  
"So you don't know..."  
"There's more. Your son is putting off more energy than anything I've ever seen. It's... unbelievable. Has he done anything... out of the ordinary?"  
"He does roll around a lot..."  
"Where to?"  
"Mostly to me or Liz. Sometimes near flames or onto a pillow."  
"Didn't your mom say **you** did the same thing when **you** were an egg?"  
"Yeah... Do you think it's related?"  
"Well, he **is** your son..."  
"I just don't understand how this could have happened... There was only one prophecy, and that was about me!"  
"Prophecies don't necessarily point out all the details. Maybe this is also meant to happen."  
"I meant I don't understand how I could've fathered a kid with Liz. We're incompatible!"  
"Well, you're already part Gallade. It wouldn't surprise me if you had the ability to breed with Gardevoir."  
"I guess..."  
"Look, I'm going out to gather berries. Wanna come with me? We can leave your son with Hayley and talk more about this on the way."  
"Sure."

Blake did as Max suggested and the boys went deep into the forest.

* * *

While the duo searched for berries, Blake decided to ask an important question.

"So, tell me... Is my son a Torchic or a Ralts?"  
"Torchic. Definitely."  
"You can tell that just from his aura?"  
"Yup. Although, in your son's case, it was difficult. He's just... so bright. You have no idea. If you could see him the way I did, you'd know what I mean."  
"Why don't you try describing it to me?"  
"Well, aura... is difficult to see clearly. It's always slightly distorted."  
"How 'slightly' are we talking about?"  
"It's like the aura is smoke in the wind, blowing in every direction."  
"What about my son being bright? What does that mean?"  
"Well, aura is energy. The more energy a person has, the brighter their aura is."  
"Makes sense..."  
"Look – there are some berry trees over there."  
"Let's go get 'em."

Max handed Blake a couple of baskets, and the boys grabbed several berries from each tree, until their baskets were full.

"Well, that's that."  
"You were explaining about my son being bright."  
"I thought it was kinda obvious... Your son is very powerful. Much more powerful than anything I've seen... More powerful than you."  
"He hasn't been born yet. How can you be sure of that?"  
"The aura never lies. If he glows as much as he does, then he's much more powerful than you."  
"...We have to protect him."  
"From what?"  
"Everyone."  
"Even Hayley and Liz?"  
"Not them, obviously... We just have to keep his power a secret from those who would try to manipulate him."  
"Like we did with yours?"  
"Well... apparently Liz found out back when we met."  
"And you're only telling me this **now**? How did she find out?"  
"While she was meditating. Apparently she sensed my psychic powers or something..."  
"I didn't see it until you tried accessing your powers... Now I feel bad."  
"It's OK. She practiced a lot more than you did."  
"I still feel kinda bad..."  
"Let's go back to your place. We can talk more about this there."  
"Alright."

* * *

Once the boys arrived, they found Hayley running all around her and Max's hut, chasing Blake's egg. It was rolling all over the place, nearly driving her insane. Blake and Max watched, somewhat amused by the scene unfolding before their eyes.

"Don't just stand there!" Hayley screamed. "Help me!"  
"Right away!"

As soon as Blake approached the egg, it rolled toward him and stayed at his feet. He picked it up carefully and Hayley relaxed.

"You have no idea how long I've been running after that egg!"  
"When did it start moving?"  
"It was a while after you left. He started rolling around the house, getting faster and faster. I tried teleporting after him, but he teleported as well and got away from me."  
"He teleported?" Blake asked excitedly.  
"He sure did."  
"That's incredible!"

"_Even **I** can't teleport, and I've been trying for years!" Blake thought. "I guess Max wasn't exaggerating when he said my son was more powerful than I am... I just hope nobody finds out about him._"

* * *

Little did Blake know that someone had already been expecting his son, and they were coming for him.

"Master, are you sure you want to take on this endeavor yourself? My children and I would be more than willing to serve you."  
"I appreciate your loyalty, but you and your children are too slow, and speed is an important factor in this mission."  
"Very well, master. When will you set off on this quest?"  
"Soon... The child will be born, and only then will I be able to trick him. Right now he relies on his powers to perceive the world around him. Once he relies on his sight... he'll be easy to take."  
"Why do you need to trick him in the first place? Can't you just take him?"  
"He's too powerful... It would take a lot of my power to simply take him. I would be weakened."  
"Master, my children and I can defend you. Nobody can get through us."  
"Thank you, but I'd rather not risk it. Who knows how Blake will react to me taking his child."  
"Understood, master."  
"Now leave me. I wish to think."  
"At your command."

The villain's underling left his side, and the villain attempted to peek into the future.

"_The future is clouded... I must rest._"

* * *

Outside, the villain's underling spoke to his children.

"What did our master say?"  
"He said he would take care of this personally."  
"Did he say when he would take care of this?"  
"No. We must be prepared to defend him, should the need arise."  
"Very well. We shall prepare."

* * *

A few minutes later, Blake was back at his house, retelling Max's discoveries, as well as Blake's abilities. Liz listened to every word as attentively as possible. Blake was very excited about his son's powers, but Liz didn't share in his enthusiasm, sighing unhappily after his explanation was over. Blake could tell she wasn't very happy.

"What's wrong?"  
"I... I'm worried. What if someone finds out and tries to take him away from us?"  
"That won't happen. I wouldn't let it, and neither would Max."  
"OK..." Liz sighed. "I trust you."

* * *

**ONE WEEK LATER**

Blake was out sparring with Max, as they often did to keep each other sharp, when Liz called him from inside the hut. They both ran as quickly as he could and heard the egg being pecked from the inside. The Torchic within was about to be born.

"Come on, little Nathan! Come on out!"  
"Nathan?" Max and Liz asked at the same time.  
"It's just a name I've been thinking about... Is it that bad?"  
"I kinda like it." Liz said  
"What do you think, Max?"  
"Well... It's... OK, I guess. Very 'you'."  
"And what's **that** supposed to mean?"  
"Um... Let's just watch this, OK? It's not every day we get to watch an egg hatch."

The trio turned their gaze toward the egg. It started moving on its own, finally floating in mid-air. Cracks appeared all over its surface, emitting golden light and flames.

"Is that normal?" Max asked.  
"Never seen that before in my life."

More cracks appeared, but the light and flames stopped.

"Is that it?"  
"I don't think-"

Suddenly, the egg exploded, creating a blast wave of fire and psychic energy, blowing Blake, Max, and Liz away. Once they got back on their feet, they saw a figure glowing from where the egg had stood. The light was too bright to see clearly, and the figure slowly fell and stopped glowing. It was definitely a Torchic, but there was something different about it.

"Are those... gold feathers?"  
"I guess they are."

The Torchic looked up at the Pokémon watching him and smiled. The trio smiled back and approached him slowly. Blake reached out and picked him up and looked at Liz. She nodded, and Blake told their son what he himself had heard from his father when he had been born.

"Welcome to the family, little Nathan."

* * *

Time passed, with Blake and Max trying to help Nathan develop and control his powers. He was stronger than Blake, yet he didn't show it very often. Neither Blake nor Max understood why, but they tried to get Nathan to access the full force of his powers anyway. It was only until his father was in danger than Nathan showed what he was truly capable of.  
Blake and Nathan were out searching for berries, while Max, Liz, and Hayley awaited their return. Nathan was already feeling tired, so his father started carrying him in one of the baskets they had brought. He fell asleep shortly afterward, so his father put him down near the berry trees while he picked as many berries as possible to fill the empty baskets.

"_I should wake him up. If I don't fill all these baskets, we won't have enough for our collective dinner. I only wish Liz had made these a little bigger instead of making several of them._"

"Nate? Buddy, wake up."

Nathan yawned loudly and looked at his father.

"Daddy is going to need you to walk now. I need to pick some berries, alright?"  
"Sure, daddy."

Nathan got out of the basket, and Blake started filling it with the best berries he could find.

"_We're gonna need these, and these... We already have those..._"

While Blake picked berries, his sharp hearing picked up a distant sound getting closer. It took him a while to figure out, but he knew what it was.

"_That sound... There's no mistaking it._"

Although Blake was almost done with picking the berries, he suddenly emptied one of the baskets and placed Nathan inside.

"If anything happens, I want you to run as fast as you can back home."  
"What's going on?"  
"Just promise me, alright?"  
"I promise..."

Blake picked up Nathan's basket and started making his way back home. He figured it would be best to see just how bad the situation was, so he jumped onto a tree and climbed it all the way to the top. He looked back where he had come from and saw some trees shaking severely, as if a powerful wind was blowing, while others fell down entirely.

"_Shit._" Blake thought.

Blake started leaping from tree to tree, thinking it would allow him to move faster than dodging all of them while running back home. Unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough. The enormous horde approaching finally caught up with him, knocking down several trees in their path, but not the one Blake was on.

"What are those, daddy?"  
"Wild Rhyhorn. Something must've scared them."

Several Rhyhorn started impacting Blake's tree. He quickly realized he needed to change trees or risk being trampled over by the Pokémon.

"Hang on, Nate!"

Blake started jumping from tree to tree, barely managing to leap between trees before the previous one falling down. Slowly but surely, Blake became tired, making his leaps less powerful and slower. Eventually, the tree he was on fell down right in the middle of the horde. Blake immediately started fighting off the Rhyhorn that came close to him and his son. Nathan wanted to do as he had promised his father, but he also wanted to stay and help. Blake turned around and told his son to leave, but he wouldn't. Upon realizing he couldn't win, Blake wrapped himself around Nathan and stayed that way.

"_If I don't make it, at least he will._"

The Rhyhorn stepped on Blake, making him scream in pain. Nathan started crying and, eventually, screamed in anger. He created a golden forcefield enveloping him and his father, but the Rhyhorn wouldn't give up. Nathan then slowly rose from the ground with his eyes closed, dragging his father behind him using the forcefield as a net. He screamed again, and all the Rhyhorn stopped in their tracks and started floating.

"_What the hell?_"

Nathan opened his eyes and started glowing, sending all the Rhyhorn flying in every direction.

"_Holy crap!_"

Nathan passed out, collapsing the forcefield and making him and his father fall. Blake still managed to catch him in mid-air, though, and land safely.

"_Nate... You saved me._"

* * *

Blake carried Nathan all the way back home and explained to the trio that awaited them what had happened. They were all surprised, but also hungry.

"What now?" Max asked.  
"Let me walk you home, in case any more Rhyhorn decide to come this way." Blake replied. "I know it's a short walk, but I want to make sure you get home safely."  
"Alright. Thanks, Blake."  
"Liz, please take care of Nate."  
"Of course."  
"Well, let's go then."

Blake kissed Liz goodbye and made his way, along with Max and Hayley, back to Max's hut.

* * *

On their way to the hut, Max stated an obvious problem.

"I can't believe Nate was able to do what you said... He's a lot more powerful than we thought."  
"Yeah."  
"I'm just wondering... if there won't be someone who will be able to sense that power and try to take him away."  
"Nah... We're far away from the villages. There's no way anyone will be able to sense him."  
"I'm not so sure..."

* * *

Max's instincts were right. A Pokémon was coming for Nathan, having scared the Rhyhorn in its wake. It arrived just as Blake was leaving Max's hut. It found Liz putting Nathan to bed.

"_Perfect._" the Pokémon thought. "_No resistance. I don't even have to pretend to be Blake._"

The Pokémon flew in through the window, spread its wings, and roared. Liz was scared out of her mind, but she stood up for her son.

"W-Who are you?"  
"My name is not important."  
"What do you want?"  
"I am here... for your son."  
"No!"  
"You don't have a choice."

The Pokémon swept Liz aside with its wings and grabbed Nathan with its feet, but Liz didn't give up. She held on to its feet, near her son. It tried to shake her off, but couldn't. Instead, it decided to take both of them away.  
Blake caught the intruder flying away and immediately tossed several fireballs at it. In spite of the risk of injuring his wife and son, Blake feared more that he would not see them again if he did nothing.

"Who the hell are you?!"  
"I am here to take your son and kill him. He is an abomination and does not deserve to live."  
"You can take him over my dead body."  
"As you wish."

The Pokémon dropped Liz and Nathan onto the ground, with Liz protecting her son, as Blake had done. She – and by extension her son – stayed away from the fight, as she knew it would only endanger Blake.  
The intruder flew in Blake's direction several times, yet never attacking. Blake noticed that, wherever it flew to, it left a rainbow trail behind. It appeared to have two colorings: one had red wings with white and green tips, a gold beak and tail feathers, and a mostly white body; the other had silver colored tail feathers and beak, and gold and red wings. It changed from one coloration to the other depending on what angle it was viewed from. It kept flying around and around, dodging Blake's fireballs. Eventually and without warning, it dashed upward and beyond the clouds.

"_Did he give up?_" Blake and Liz thought.

They were wrong. The Pokémon came down, crashing against Blake and creating a large crater beneath him. Blake groaned in pain and slowly rose to continue the battle.

"Give up. You can't win."  
"Funny... I was about to say the same thing."

Blake ran toward the intruder and threw several punches, missing every one of them. He finally managed to land a kick that sent it a couple of feet backward.

"...I don't have time for this."

The Pokémon grabbed Blake and took him high into the atmosphere, nearly making him pass out from lack of air. It then dashed downward, aided by gravity, and dropped Blake onto the ground, creating a larger crater than before. Blake still stayed conscious long enough to watch his family being taken away.

"Blake!" Liz yelled.  
"Liz..."

Blake finally passed out from his injuries.


	2. Five Brothers and a Titan

Blake woke up several hours later, with the sun. Blake's body slowly became surrounded by flames.

"_That... **fucker** took my son and my partner! I'm going to find him and..._"

Blake roared and spat flames directly upward, lighting up the forest around him. He then calmed himself down and started making his way toward Max's hut.

"_I have to get Max. We're the only ones who can get my family back._"

* * *

By the time Blake arrived, Max was already waiting for him. He had seen the flames coming from Blake's hut and immediately suspected something had gone wrong. Hayley had also seen them and concluded the same thing.

"Do you know where they went?" Max asked.  
"They went deep into the forest, headed for the mountains."  
"How long ago?"  
"No idea. I... passed out."  
"Wow. That must've been some foe to knock **you** out."  
"Yup. That's why I need your help, Max. I can't beat this guy alone... Will you help me?"  
"Of course I'll help you. That's not even a question. Hayley, what kind of berries do we have that we can carry with us?"  
"No need for that, bro. Let's just pick whatever we find on the way and eat it there."  
"Are you sure? What if we can't find anything?"  
"In the middle of the forest? If we don't find anything, it's because we suck."  
"Look, we can't just-"  
"My **family** was taken by that... **thing**! I'm done waiting around! Are you coming or not!?"  
"Blake, I want them back as much as you do, but I need you to **think**. If we run out of resources, we'll be stranded. Unable to move forward or return home."  
"And how do you suggest we carry dozens of berries without slowing us down? Baskets are terrible for carrying **anything**. The only reason we use them is because we don't have an alternative."  
"Well..." Hayley said hesitantly. "You can use blankets to carry your stuff, and that way you'll also have something to cover yourselves with when you need to rest."

Blake and Max looked at Hayley, wide-eyed.

"That's perfect! Right, Blake?"  
"Y-Yeah..."

"_Why didn't **I** think of that?_" Blake wondered.

Hayley prepared two blankets. She split the berries she and Max had in their home in two and place them on the blankets, before showing the boys how to tie them up into makeshift bags. After just a few minutes, they were ready to leave.

"We'll be back as soon as possible, Hayley."  
"Alright. Good luck."

* * *

Several hours later, Max decided to take a break, in spite of Blake's opposition.

"That thing could be killing Liz and Nathan as we speak! We have to go!"  
"If he just wanted to kill them, he would have done it after you were knocked out. There's more to this than we know."  
"How can you be sure?"  
"I can't, but we're going to have to stop eventually. If we stop now to rest, we'll still be able to fight off any wild creatures, should the need arise."  
"You know I can just create a fire, right? No wild creatures would dare attack us."  
"I thought fire creatures were attracted to fire."  
"It's a forest. There aren't any fire creatures here."  
"Good. Then let's stay here for the night."

Blake was angry Max seemed so calm, but he finally caved in.

"...Fine."

"_I swear, if that thing gets my family, I'll never forgive you._"

* * *

Little did Blake know Max was right. The kidnapper was keeping Liz and Nathan in a cage, deciding what to do with them. Liz was trying to keep her son calm, but he knew as well as she did that they were in a bad situation, though he was more optimistic than she was.

"Daddy and uncle Max are coming to rescue us, right?"  
"Of course... I'm sure they're on their way right now."

"_But I doubt they'll reach us in time._" Liz thought.

Just as Liz was done reassuring her child, the intruder showed up. Liz placed herself between it and her son, to protect him.

"What do you want from us?"  
"I want nothing from **you**. I just want your son."  
"Well you're not getting him!"  
"You don't have a say in the matter."

The Pokémon spat powerful flames at Liz and Nathan, but the latter instinctively created a shield to deflect them.

"You're powerful, child... but I'm beyond your limits."

The flames became hotter, and the shield's strength slowly faded. In the end, both the attack and the shield ceased. The Pokémon roared and left. As it left, its tail turned long and pink. Liz saw it, and realized the obvious.

"_He's a shapeshifter!_"

* * *

Meanwhile, Max was almost asleep, and Blake had calmed himself down. He took long, deep breaths and apologized to Max.

"Max? You still up?"  
"Yeah..."  
"Look, I... I just wanted to say I'm sorry."  
"For what?"  
"I was so angry... But now I realized you're right. We need to think about what we're doing, instead of just charging foolishly at our target. I just wanted to thank you for not letting my emotions make the decisions for me... for **us**."  
"That's what I'm here for. If I don't keep you in line, who will?"  
"Right..." Blake chuckled. "Let's just go to sleep. I'm sure by tomorrow we'll reach the mountains."

* * *

Back at the kidnapper's hideout, Liz was desperately trying to teleport herself and Nathan out of their cage, to no avail.

"_Something is blocking my powers... Probably that shapeshifter... I wonder where he is._"

* * *

Unbeknownst to Liz, the shapeshifter was resting to regain its strength. In spite of its boasting, Nathan was more powerful than it had expected, so the first attempt to kill him had drained a portion of its power. It called for its servant, who appeared as quickly as it could.

"What is thy wish, my master?"  
"I am temporarily weakened by my attempt to... dispose of the boy. You and your children must be ready to protect me."  
"Always. You can count on us, master."  
"Do **not** fail me."  
"Yes, my lord."

The Pokémon went to sleep, so as to recover its strength, while its underling left and gave its master's instructions to its children.

* * *

Blake opened his eyes and found himself traveling across space. He thought it was a dream about Wyatt, as he sometimes had, but he was wrong. A shadow lurked, barely distinguishable from the background. It was small, but Blake could feel it was unnaturally strong. It spoke in a high-pitched voice, almost like a child's.

"I can sense you are coming for me, Blake."  
"Who are you? What do you want?"  
"I am the first one. I came to do what is necessary. To do what you won't. To kill your son."  
"If you touch him, there won't be a place that you can hide."  
"If my followers don't kill you, **I** will."  
"How many followers? Because it will take a fucking **army** to stop what's coming to you."

The figure laughed and slowly faded away, leaving Blake alone in the void.

"Come back here, you coward!"

Blake swung his arms everywhere, until he was finally awoken by Max.

"It's OK, Blake. It's just me. You were screaming and flailing your arms all over the place."  
"I... I had this dream... Whoever took my family has followers."  
"How many?"  
"Dunno. Doesn't matter. I don't care if I have to fight every last being in this forest. I **will** get my family back."

"_We're back to being impulsive, I see..._" Max thought. "_That must've been some dream. Oh well. At least we don't **really** have to fight everyone here._"

* * *

Blake and Max walked for hours, through a particularly thick part of the forest, and finally arrived at the mountains.

"We're here. Are you sure this is where they went?"  
"I'm certain. I can feel it."  
"OK..."

They walked around the mountain and came across a cave with rock sculptures on the left and right sides of the entrance. They seemed to be made of regular stone, but two of them were different than one would expect from rocks. One was smooth and curvy, whereas another was made of flat surfaces stuck together. The third seemed normal enough. All three had small dots on their faces. Max tried deciphering what they meant, but one of the statues suddenly started moving when he approached it. It changed from being made of stone into a reflective and cold skin. Max jumped backward due to the freezing temperature, but the cold it caused could be felt even several feet away.

"You can't go through here."  
"Who are you?"  
"I am Regice. My siblings and I guard that which matters most."  
"What's that?"  
"Our master, Mew."  
"Did you say 'Mew'?" Max asked.  
"Yes." Regice confirmed.  
"Who's that?" Blake inquired.  
"You've never heard of Mew? They say he's capable of copying any and all attacks, as well as shape shift, not to mention that he's a master of psychic attacks."  
"Enough!" Regice yelled. "Leave now, or I will make you regret ever coming here."  
"I'm sorry, but that won't happen. I'm looking for my family, and I'm pretty sure your boss took them."  
"So you're Blake?"  
"Yes..."  
"Mew told me about you... He told me to kill you, should you come looking for your son. Tell you what: go back home and I'll tell him you never showed up."

Blake's wrists lit up. Max saw and adopted a battle stance.

"You sure you wanna do this, Blake?"  
"I am." Blake replied as he turned to Regice. "I'm going to kick your boss's ass, Regice. The only question is if I have to kick yours too."

Regice screamed in its high-pitched voice, making Blake and Max drop to their knees in pain while covering their ears. It stopped once it felt confident it had shown both Pokémon its superiority. Once Blake and Max backed away, Regice stepped back into its spot and turned into a statue.

"We can't fight this guy without first blocking that noise." Max whispered.  
"We have to get past him. We have to save my family, Max."  
"Hey... **Our** family. We're brothers, remember?"

Blake smiled.

"Thank you, Max."  
"Now, what should we do?"  
"Can you create forcefields around our ears?"  
"Well, sure, but then we wouldn't be able to hear. Besides, I can't sustain them for very long, especially while fighting."  
"Then you stay behind. If I knock him out quickly enough, we'll be fine."  
"Are you sure?"  
"...Yes. Let's do it."

Max focused on creating small aura bubbles inside his and Blake's ears, so that the bubbles wouldn't be seen by Regice. Once he was done, Blake made his way toward the entrance of the cave. Regice started moving immediately and approached them.

"Didn't you have enough already?"

Without warning, Blake dashed toward Regice and kicked it as hard as he could. Regice cracked and screamed in pain, before attempting another high-pitched roar. This time, thanks to Max's aura bubbles, Blake almost didn't hear anything. Blake spat flames at Regice, who began to melt.

"_It's working!_" Blake and Max thought.

Regice suddenly fell, so Blake stopped his attack. The aura bubbles slowly dissolved, and Blake smiled.

"We did it!"

The other two statues started moving, making Blake go back to Max's side.

"Brother!" Registeel yelled.

Blake and Max readied themselves for another fight. While the Regis tended to their fallen sibling, the duo tried to come up with a strategy.

"Should I try to create more forcefields?"  
"No. If you do, either we fight together and you can't keep them up until we defeat them, or I fight them alone and am defeated. We're just gonna have to tough it out."  
"If you say so..."

Regice turned back into a statue to recover from its wounds, while Regirock and Registeel approached Blake and Max.

"You will pay for what you've done."

Both Regis' eyes started glowing randomly and they fired a powerful beam at their foes. Blake narrowly managed to dodge it, whereas Max tried to deflect it with an aura bubble. The bubble collapsed at the very last moment, almost failing to deflect the attack. The two Regis split up; Regirock went after Blake, whereas Registeel went toward Max. Regirock spun and buried itself underground, popping up at random locations around Blake and punching him as hard as it could, knocking him back several feet. Max wanted to go help him, but he was also busy fighting Registeel. It wasn't as agile as Regirock, but its strength more than made up for it. Max tried defending against its strikes, barely managing to do so. Every punch from Registeel made Max back away a bit, until he had his back against a large tree. Seeing that Max had no way to run away anymore, Registeel focused his strength on a single punch that knocked Max against the tree hard enough to crack it.

"Fuck!"  
"Max!"

Ignoring all danger, Blake punched Regirock in the face as hard as he could. He then tossed several fireballs at Registeel and ran toward Max, carrying him out of harm's way while Registeel backed away.

"You OK?"  
"Yeah... That guy is tough."  
"You can't hold back. Give it everything you've got."  
"I am!"  
"You're stronger than this. I know it."  
"OK... I'll try to do better."

During the boys' short conversation, the Regis approached them and left them no means of escape.

"We're surrounded... What now?"  
"Put a forcefield around yourself."  
"What? Why?"  
"Just do it! And don't drop it, no matter what happens. Keep it up until it's all over."

Max hesitantly did as Blake asked. The Regis stood still, wondering what was strategy Blake was planning.

"You can't beat us on your own, **boy**."

Blake lowered his head and smiled.

"You're wrong." Blake simply said.

Suddenly, Blake's body began to glow. It slowly became brighter and brighter, until flames were clearly visible around him.

"_What the hell is he doing?_" Max thought.

Blake screamed at the top of his lungs and unleashed a massive fire wave toward the Regis. The golems were pushed backward by the intense heat, and Registeel began to melt, just like Regice had. Registeel then turned to stone, in order to protect itself, leaving Regirock to fight Blake and Max on its own. Blake's attack subsided, and Max lowered his aura shield. Regirock looked at its fallen siblings and became enraged.

"You... I'm going to kill you!"

Regirock fired a powerful beam at his foes and went deep underground.

"Look out!" Blake said. "He's gonna pop up from somewhere underground. There's no way to know where he will appear."  
"Maybe there is. Do you trust me?"  
"Of course."  
"Attack when I tell you to, where I tell you to."  
"Sure."

Max closed his eyes and tried tracking Regirock by its aura, just like his father had taught him. At first, Regirock was too deep underground for Max to be able to sense it, but it soon changed once it prepared an attack.

"There!"

Blake attacked where Max was pointing at and hit Regirock's shoulder. It quickly retreated and tried to strike again from another location. Just as Regirock became visible to Max, he pointed out its location to Blake.

"He's over there now!"

Blake was a little slower this time, so Regirock managed to throw a punch at the same time as Blake. Their fists connected, and Regirock's hand shattered. Regirock then dropped to its knees in submission.

"Please..." the golem begged. "No more!"

Blake dropped his battle stance and returned to a more natural position, while Max opened his eyes and stopped sensing the aura around him.

"We did it!"

As the boys celebrated, from deep within the cave came a low and annoyed groan. The duo stopped their celebrations and Regirock turned into a statue.

"_What the hell was that?_" the boys thought.

A large figure – about twice as tall as Blake – appeared from the cave, slowly making its way toward the light. Blake and Max could tell it was connected to Regirock, Regice, and Registeel by its appearance. The dots on its face began to glow randomly, and it finally spoke in a deep voice.

"You defeated my children..."  
"These things are... your **children**?"  
"Indeed. I created them myself."  
"You... Who **are** you?"  
"I am Regigigas."

"_Now that's a mouthful..._"

"I am the final safeguard between the outside world and my lord, Mew. Why are you two here?"  
"Your... lord took my son, and we're here to get him back."  
"Your son... is an abomination. He should not exist."  
"That's what they said about me. They were wrong."  
"You are different. Your existence was foretold. A prophecy. Your son's was not."  
"And that makes it right to kill him?!"  
"Yes. Power corrupts. Your son has the potential to outshine you and everyone you ever knew or even heard of. He will become evil; corrupted by his own power. It is as Mew foresaw it."  
"Well, he's wrong! I have held my son in my arms! I know him better than anyone. He's **not** evil."  
"Not right now, but he **will** turn evil. It is only a matter of time. My master has never been wrong."  
"Enough! I will not stand here and listen to this **bullshit** anymore! If you stand in my way, you will be taken down, just like your children."  
"Very well."

Regigigas's eyes started glowing in random patterns again and it began to charge an icy beam.

"Shall we begin?"

Without warning, Regigigas fired its beam at Max. Seeing that his friend didn't have time to shield himself or dodge it, Blake spat flames at the beam, hoping to counter it. The point of contact between Regigigas's beam and Blake's flames began to expand and contract randomly.

"Blake! You have to-"

Max's warning came too late. A large explosion blew Blake and Max away, yet Regigigas didn't seem the least bit fazed by it.

"Is that all you've got?" Regigigas taunted.

Blake's anger flared up, so he left Max behind and started punching Regigigas in what he presumed was its gut, to little effect. All it did was take one step backward, before knocking Blake back to Max's side.

"Look, it's obvious you can't beat this guy alone."  
"What do you suggest then, Max?"  
"I don't know..."  
"Then I suggest we keep hitting him until he's defeated."

Blake dashed toward Regigigas again and resumed punching it, this time trying to find a weak spot. Max watched the scene unfold for a few seconds, sighed, and followed Blake's lead. The boys punched as hard as they could, but all it did was make Regigigas back away slowly and wait for an opening before hitting the duo back, sending them flying several feet away.

"Foolish mortals! You think you can defeat **me**? I towed the very continents of this world with my bare hands!"  
"He's so full of himself, isn't he?"  
"Yup."  
"Any strategies so far?"  
"Nope."  
"Me neither."  
"Wanna try another fire wave?"  
"Sure. We've got nothing to lose. Put up a forcefield around you, just like before."

Blake and Max tried the same strategy that had defeated Registeel. Max put up his shield, and Blake created a wave of fire that engulfed Regigigas. The behemoth didn't even flinch; instead it kept walking toward Blake, although at an even slower pace. It then put its arms around Blake's torso, squeezing his entire body as hard as it could. Blake screamed in pain, so Max tried to help him by tossing several aura spheres at Regigigas's hands.

"Let him go!"

Regigigas did as Max ordered and kicked both boys toward the forest and into a tree. Blake barely had the strength to stand, but he didn't let it show.

"What now?"  
"I... I don't know. Nothing seems to stop it."  
"I think I have an idea."

Blake focused what little power he had left on a massive fireball.

"Create a forcefield around this fireball."  
"What?"  
"Just trust me!"

Max hurriedly created an aura bubble around the fireball.

"Now, can you make it smaller?"  
"I see what you're getting at... Hang on!"

Max slowly decreased the size of the bubble, making it brighter and hotter than any flame Blake could generate. Once it was down to the size of a berry, Blake gave the final instruction.

"Now shoot it at him!"

Max screamed and the aura bubble quickly made its way toward its intended target. As soon as it made contact, Max created a second bubble around himself and Blake, to protect them. The ensuing explosion knocked Regigigas all the way back to the cave's entrance.

"Did we do it?" Blake asked.

Blake and Max walked closer to Regigigas, to see what they had done.

"I think we did."

Suddenly, Regigigas tried getting up.

"Or maybe not. Get ready!"

Blake tried summoning his strength, but he didn't have any left. Instead, he collapsed onto the ground. Max became concerned for Blake's safety, but became relieved once Regigigas also collapsed.

"You... You have defeated me. You may pass."  
"Seriously?"  
"It's not like I could stop you, even if I wanted to."

Max helped Blake up and carried him into the cave. Before they could get too far, Regigigas issued a warning.

"Be warned... My master is ten times more powerful than I am. You will not be able to return with your lives."

Once the duo was far enough, Max asked Blake the obvious question.

"Do you think he's telling the truth?"  
"I sure hope not. We could barely defeat **him**; I doubt we could defeat someone more powerful than him."

* * *

Little did the boys know that Mew was already aware of their defeat of the golems.

"_So..._" Mew thought."_Blake and his friend are on their way... I'm still weakened. I won't be able to stop them together... But if I drive them apart... Well, then it's just a matter of time._"

Mew chuckled evilly, filling its cave with the sound of its evil laughter and scaring Liz and Nathan.

"Mommy?"  
"Yes?"  
"Daddy's going to be OK, right?"  
"Of course, Nate."

"_Blake... Please save us._"


	3. The Final Battle

The boys went deeper into Mew's cave. It was getting colder, the air was getting thinner, and it was getting darker, yet they kept going. To recover their strength, they ate some berries specifically created for that purpose. They weren't at their full power, but they were quickly recovering.

"_Time to put the pressure on._" Mew thought.

Suddenly, the entire cave went dark.

"What the hell just happened?" Max asked.  
"I'm not sure."  
"Try lighting your wrists."  
"Will do."

Blake lit his wrists on fire, but the cave didn't get any brighter.

"Did you do it?"  
"Of course. It's not working."  
"Let me try something..."

Max focused and tried sensing the aura all around them. He was able to see, albeit barely.

"I can see." Max said. "Let me guide you."

Blake put his hand on Max's back and followed the small Pokémon around the cave. Mew watched and panicked as they slowly got closer to it, and to its captives.

"_I'm not done yet!_"

From deep within the cave came a low roar. It got louder and louder, but only Blake seemed to hear it. When its intensity peaked, Blake stopped moving out of fear.

"What's wrong?" Max asked.  
"Don't you hear that?"  
"Hear what?"  
"...Nothing. Let's just keep going."

"_It must be the dark._" Blake thought. "_It's messing with my head._"

The duo continued along their path in complete silence. They both felt something was wrong, but, probably out of not knowing what they were facing, they feared not getting their family back more than whatever was going on.

"M-Max?"  
"What's wrong?"  
"I-I feel... cold. Freezing, actually."  
"Really? I don't feel it. Are you sure you're not imagining it?"  
"I'm s-sure. Do you m-mind if we stop f-for a little while?"

"_You must be really freezing if you want to stop._"

"Alright... Let's light a fire. It won't help us see, but it will keep you warm."  
"I-I can't light a-a fire like t-this. Y-You'll have to do it."  
"I can't manipulate fire like that!"  
"J-Just smash two r-rocks together near some twigs. Y-You should be a-able to find some a-around here."  
"OK. Hang on."

Max did as Blake explained, and they soon had a fire going, yet Blake didn't feel any warmer.

"I-It's not working."  
"Someone – or something – must be doing this. Let me try something else."

Max closed his eyes and focused on Blake's aura.

"_What the hell?_"

There was a faint, but distinct purple and green vortex, slowly draining Blake's aura. Without thinking twice, Max created a shield around Blake. The vortex became stronger, gaining a blue core and lowering the shield's strength, so Max put more of his own aura into it, until the vortex disappeared and Blake's aura was restored.

* * *

In the deepest part of the cave, Mew took deep breaths to recover its strength.

"_Those guys are strong... but I have one last thing to try._"

* * *

Back in the middle of the cave, Max explained to Blake what had happened

"Do you think it was Mew?" Blake asked.  
"Probably. We should get going. I stopped him for now, but he might try again."  
"Thank you, Max."  
"Any time."

* * *

After several minutes of walking in silence, Max decided to say something.

"You know... I'm jealous of you."  
"Why?"  
"You have a family. A son. I have nothing. I won't ever have anything with Hayley."  
"You love her. You even said so."  
"I'd rather be you. Born from a prophecy... It must be amazing."  
"It's not that great. I've had people after me since before I was even born. I was forced into training when I was only six. Do you know what that does to a child?"  
"Yeah... It's probably because you're weak."  
"What did you say?"  
"I mean, you're stronger than some, but you're still pretty weak."  
"I managed to beat Damien after nearly being defeated by Ryan."  
"And that's exactly my point. If I were you, I would have defeated both of them at the same time. I held off **three** guards single-handedly. You had to fight two, one at a time."  
"Those were grunts... They were nothing compared to Ryan and Damien."  
"You were defeated by Ryan, and you only defeated Damien because you got angry. If he hadn't been stupid, you would be dead by now. You were lucky. Nothing more."  
"Just be quiet, Max. You have no idea-"  
"Just a few minutes ago I had to save you **again**. If I hadn't protected you, you would be dead."  
"What do you mean 'again'? You saved me that one time."  
"Did you forget about when you tried meditating for the first time?"  
"You did that to save **you**. Because you were scared of my power."  
"Oh, please! All you ever did in your life was fulfill some dumb prophecy."  
"You just said it must have been amazing!"  
"I lied."

The cave became bright again, and Blake was faced with Max. His eyes were glowing blue, and his spikes were black.

"You're not Max!"  
"I sure am, 'brother'." Max mocked. "I just realized my true potential. Now get ready to fight."  
"I won't fight you, Max. Not like this."  
"Too bad."

Max dashed toward Blake and punched him in the stomach, knocking the air out of him. Blake took several steps backward and tried to ignore the pain, but Max continued his assault by tossing an aura sphere at him.

"Fight me!"

"_If he's not really Max... I won't be hurting him._"

Little did Blake know that "Max" was, in fact, his friend. Mew was manipulating both their senses to turn them against one another. While Blake saw an evil Max, Max saw a Blake who had lost control of his psychic powers. Blake tossed several bright fireballs at Max, who retaliated by creating aura spheres and throwing them at the fireballs. The ensuing explosions nearly caused a cave-in which would have crushed and killed them both. Mew was outraged, but he soon realized they weren't using the full force of their powers against the other.

"_Fight, damn you!_" Mew thought angrily. "_Fight and destroy yourselves!_"

Blake answered Mew's prayers. He created a fireball as big as the cave allowed and directed it toward Max. Max, in turn, in a feat similar to that which had defeated Regigigas, surrounded it with a forcefield and redirected it at Blake. Blake dodged it, but was still caught in the explosion that projected him against the opposite wall, near Max. Mew's illusion faded away once it realized it had attained its goal. Max believed his hallucination had been true, so he just kept attacking Blake. Blake, realizing Mew had finished its trick, tried reasoning with Max.

"Max, stop! Whatever you think you saw or heard isn't real!"  
"Blake?"  
"Yes! It's me!"  
"How can I be sure of that?"  
"You're just gonna have to trust me."

Max looked at Blake for a long time until he dropped his battle stance and approached him.

"I trust you, Blake."

Blake got back on his feet. Seeing that its plan was failing, Mew tried to create an illusion in Max's mind of Blake attacking him. Max immediately returned to his previous stance and continued his attack. Blake appealed to Max, to no avail. Instead, he, too, prepared for battle.

"_Max... I'm sorry._"

Blake kicked Max all the way to the opposite wall, cracking it. Max quickly got back up and dashed toward Blake. He created an aura bubble around his fists and threw as many punches as he could, but Blake dodged all of them.

"Stay still!" Max yelled.

Max finally managed to land a punch – in Blake's gut – making Blake spit out blood. While Blake attempted to recover, Max punched him several more times. Blake kept spitting out blood, slowly becoming angry at his best friend. After six or seven punches, Blake snapped. He grabbed Max's hands and the boys pushed as hard as they could, yet they were evenly matched. Finally, Mew decided to use its psychic powers to give Max the upper hand. Max slowly overpowered Blake and kneed him in the stomach. Blake spat out even more blood and dropped to the ground like a rock, with his arms covering his stomach.  
Max looked down at Blake. He saw his friend lying in pain, and was deciding whether to keep attacking or letting him go. Blake was frightened, so he tried appealing to Max one last time.

"Max, just stop this. We... We're brothers, remember?"  
"You're only saying that because I won... I've always been stronger than you. When we were kids, I **always** held back. You've been tricking yourself into believing you're stronger... You're nothing but a fool."

Blake looked around frantically, trying to ignore Max's statement. After several seconds of watching this, Max spoke again.

"Tell you what, I'll save your girl and your kid. You can thank me later."  
"...You're wrong."  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I'm not a fool, and you're not stronger than I am."  
"Right! It's not like I just kicked your ass!"  
"I had to come to your rescue with those... things. I practically fought all three by myself!"  
"So what? Their leader barely flinched when you hit him."  
"Like **you** did any better against him... He was made of some hard stuff I've never seen before."  
"...Stand up."  
"What?"  
"Stand and fight."  
"Why? You've already won."  
"If you think I can't beat you, **stand up**."

Blake pushed through the pain and stood up as Max wanted.

"Now fight."  
"Why? You've already proven you can beat me. So now either you help me get my family back, or you get out of my way, in which case Mew will **kill** me and my family... **Our** family."

Max blinked several times, and took deep breaths. He looked at Blake's bruises and blood dripping on the floor, yet he had no memory of the events that had occurred.

"Blake? What's wrong?"  
"Max? Is that you?"  
"Yeah. Who do you think it is?"  
"I think Mew was controlling you."  
"I-I feel... I feel...!"

Max raised his arms to his head and screamed at the top of his lungs, clearly in pain. His screech was heard all over the cave, even in the room where Liz and Nathan were.

"_What's going on out there?_" Liz thought.

Max's scream slowly gave way to an evil laugh, and Blake realized Mew was no longer trying to hide its control over Max.

"Good job, Blake. I thought you were dumber than this, but apparently I was wrong."  
"Mew... Let go of my friend!"  
"Only after I use his abilities to destroy you. And you won't fight your best friend, will you?"  
"...As always, bad guys are wrong."  
"What?"  
"Max can handle it. He's tough... Which is more than I can say for **you**."

Blake kicked Max as hard as his weakened body would allow, but, in spite of his injuries, it was still powerful enough to knock him halfway across the cave.

"And like I said... I'm stronger."  
"Or so you think."  
"Let's put it to the test then, shall we?"

Blake made a run for Max, who instinctively put up a forcefield around himself. Instead of attempting to break through, Blake ran counterclockwise around Max until he became too weak to sustain the bubble. At that point, Blake ran toward Max and kicked him again, this time sending him all the way to the opposite wall. Max grunted in pain, but wouldn't give up. Blake smiled, confusing Mew.

"Why are you smiling? Are you enjoying hurting your friend?"  
"I'm willing to bet I'm not hurting him at all. In fact, I'm hurting **you**. Anyway, you don't know us Blaziken. We enjoy the thrill of a battle."  
"You think I don't know you? I am the first one!"  
"You said that already. What does it mean?"  
"Long before any of your villages existed, our lord Arceus created this world. He populated it with the first of our kind: Mew. We were immortal and beautiful. Life was perfect."  
"What happened?"  
"We changed. Perhaps as a punishment from Arceus for growing too self-centered. We... evolved into other creatures, slowly losing our powers and having them replaced with new, different powers."  
"So all the creatures on his planet came from... you?"  
"Yes."  
"If that's true, why are **you** still alive?"  
"I was unable to join my friends and family in their... degradation. I didn't want to, so I turned to Arceus for help. He told me I could live forever as I was, but that I would be alone. I accepted the bargain."  
"You gave up your family and friends just to stay as you are?"  
"Yes! I am immortal! Do you have any idea what that means? I will **never** die."  
"If you hurt my family, I'll be the one to test that theory."  
"Enough! Fight me, mortal. Fight me or die!"

In spite of his bravado, Blake was well aware of the truth: he was holding back, for fear of killing Max. Suddenly, an idea popped into his head.

"_I'll just have to separate myself from him in a way that won't allow him to retaliate!_"

Blake aimed at the ceiling and spat flames at it, attempting to cause a cave-in. While he tried, Max approached him and readied a final blow: an aura sphere big enough to block the cave. Just as he was about to fire, Max took control of his body and aimed it upward. The blast knocked Blake deeper into the cave, and Max in the direction of the exit. Just before the cave collapsed completely and blocked the path, Max looked into Blake's eyes and smiled.

"_Max... I knew you could do it._"

Max turned around and started walking, albeit slowly, toward the exit and away from Mew's influence.

* * *

Instead of attempting to follow his friend, Blake went even deeper into the cave. He walked for several minutes and came across a large room. It seemed to go on forever downward, but the sides were clearly visible. The room itself was oval-shaped, with a dome in the middle. There were several paths, but only the lower ones actually connected to the dome.

"_He must be in there. I don't see anywhere else he could be._"

Blake jumped from path to path until he found one that led to his destination. Inside, he found a pink Pokémon floating with its eyes closed.

"Are you Mew?"

Mew opened its eyes and nodded. Blake was afraid he didn't have the power to defeat it, so he tried reasoning with it.

"If you just give me my family back, we won't have to fight."  
"I can't do that. Your son is an abomination. He must be destroyed."  
"You keep saying that, but I think **you're** the abomination. Immortal, shapeshifting, able to copy any attacks... You're a freak!"

Mew yelled and tossed Blake all around the room using its telekinesis. Blake groaned in pain and retaliated by tossing fireballs. It was difficult to hit Mew, but he managed to do it after only a handful of tries. Seeing as how its attack wasn't having the desired effect, Mew threw Blake one last time against a wall and stood still. As soon as he was back on his feet, Blake ran toward Mew and tried punching it, but hit nothing but air. Mew vanished, leaving Blake confused.

"Where did you go, coward?"

Suddenly, Blake felt a powerful hit to his nose, yet he saw nothing. Several more hits followed, in various areas of his body, making Blake drop to his knees in pain.

"_What the fuck is going on?_"

* * *

Meanwhile, Mew had dropped its control over Max, to focus entirely on the fight. Max quickly realized he was free from Mew's grasp and, without hesitation, turned around and ran back into the cave.

* * *

Mew noticed Max was approaching and tried taking control of his mind again, but all it managed to do was slow him down somewhat. Focusing his powers on two different issues was also slowing down its attacks to the point where Blake could see a pink trail all around him.

"_So **that's** what you're doing..._" Blake thought. "_Too bad for you that I practiced for this situation._"

Blake closed his eyes and focused all his senses, just like he had been trained to do. Mew attacked him again, but Blake dodged and kicked it against a wall. Mew grunted in pain and tried the same strategy. It was again met with failure. It finally lost its patience, roaring in anger. It then created a psychic shield around itself and dashed toward Blake, knocking him backward and crushing him against a wall.

* * *

Max advanced until he came across the cave-in.

"_Right... I forgot about this. Now what?_"

Ignoring all danger, Max tried breaking through with brute force. He punched the rocks as hard as he could, cracking some of them, yet without getting anywhere. Max slowly came to realize the only thing that would allow him to get through the rocks.

"_Blake... if I die, it's all your fault._"

Max put a lot of his power into the same attack that had caused the cave-in in the first place – a large aura sphere. He was hesitant to actually use it, but he knew Blake needed him, and that was all the encouragement he needed.  
Max fired the attack, shattering the rocks and making the entire cave shake slightly. He ran past the newly formed opening and headed toward the ongoing battle. He found Blake being pushed around by Mew's psychic barrier and decided to intervene by kicking Mew away from Blake.

"You're back?" Blake asked.  
"Did you think I'd leave you all alone? He stopped controlling me whe- Look out!"

Mew came around for another attack that split the boys up. Max looked at Blake, and the duo nodded before attempting to squish Mew between them. They pushed the shield as hard as they could, until it collapsed. At that moment, Mew moved away quickly enough to make its opponents crash into one another.

"My fucking head..."  
"What now?"  
"Remember how we defeated Regigigas?"  
"You think that'll work?"  
"Do we have any other choice?"  
"I guess not."

* * *

Just a few feet away, Liz was still desperately trying to teleport herself and Nathan away from their cage. She could tell Mew's influence was weakening, as she was almost to the point where she could do it.

* * *

The boys readied their final technique. Like before, Blake provided the fireball while Max focused it into a small sphere. Max then tossed it at Mew, who stretched out its arms in an attempt to deflect it. The sphere and its arms clashed. It was now up to Max to finish the job. Max pushed as hard as he could, and so did Mew. It appeared that Max was winning, but Mew suddenly became stronger and began to push the ball backward.

"What's wrong?" Blake asked.  
"He's... too... strong!"  
"Maybe I can help!"

Blake focused his psychic powers and tried using his limited telekinesis to help Max, yet it wasn't enough. Just as all hope seemed lost, Liz finally managed to teleport herself and her son out of their cage. She passed out from exhaustion, but Nathan was wide-awake. He left the room to find his father and uncle mid-battle against Mew. The duo noticed him and Blake told him to get away.

"Nate! Get back!"

Instead of listening to his father, Nathan closed his eyes. Suddenly, the aura sphere turned golden and Mew was once again losing the battle. After a few seconds, Mew was being pushed against a wall. With nowhere to run, Mew summoned the last bits of strength it had left to attempt to teleport, but couldn't. Nathan had blocked its escape.

"You..." Mew said in anger as he looked at Nathan.

The sphere exploded, engulfing the entire room in flames. Once the flames dissipated, Mew fell to the ground, completely drained of all its power. Blake and Max cautiously approached it.

"You fools..." Mew said. "You fools! This boy is more powerful than you know. He will destroy everything and everyone who stands in his way."  
"...He didn't destroy **you**." Blake replied.

Mew became perplexed. It began to wonder if its vision of the future had been faulty. While it reflected on the issue at hand, Blake picked up his son while Max went to get Liz. They all left Mew alone to think about what it had done.

* * *

Just outside, Blake asked Max an important question.

"You know, back then..."  
"Back when?"  
"When we were fighting, after it got dark. I saw an evil version of you, but, at first, it sounded just like you."  
"What did I say?"  
"That you were jealous of me and Liz."  
"Yeah... That part was true. I can never have with Hayley what you have with Liz: a son. It's just not possible."  
"Hey, that's what I thought about us, but I was proven wrong. Besides, you may not have a son, but you have family. Hayley, me, Liz, and little Nathan."

Max smiled, until the need to confess something else overcame him.

"I... I was also telling the truth about having held back when we fought."  
"That's OK. I've been doing the same thing."  
"Seriously?"  
"Did you ever see me using my psychic powers against you?"  
"No... Wait, why didn't you use them then? Did you **want** me to kill you?"  
"You're my best friend, Max. More than that; you're my brother. I knew you wouldn't kill me."  
"So you lied to me?"  
"I lied to Mew in the hopes you would take control and stop attacking me."  
"If you say so..."  
"Let's go home. I heard your attack all the way from Mew's room. This place could come down on us at any minute."

The group reached the place where Max had blown a hole in the rocks. Some different rocks had taken their place, but nowhere near enough to block their path.

"Wow. That must've been some blast." Blake said.  
"It took a lot of power to do it."  
"I'll bet..."

The entire cave began to shake, so the boys quickly continued along their path. The last thing they heard from inside the cave before it was completely blocked off was Mew's piercing roar. Once all noise ceased, Blake turned to Max.

"...Do you think he's gonna try to do this again?"  
"Nah..."  
"That roar was-"  
"He was sad and angry, but not vengeful. At least I don't think so."  
"How can you tell?"  
"I can't, but if he tries anything again, we'll be ready. No more falling for those illusions."  
"No more getting controlled by him?"  
"Exactly. We know his tricks now. He won't be able to fool us again."

* * *

Liz woke up several hours later. Max had already gone home, and Nathan was asleep.

"Nate!" Liz yelled.  
"It's OK, Liz."  
"Blake? What happened?"  
"Max and I rescued you... with some help from Nate."  
"How did **he** help?"  
"He just walked over to the battlefield. He did something to the attack I combined with Max, making it stronger. I'm also pretty sure he kept Mew from teleporting away."  
"Teleporting... That's right, I teleported Nate away from the cage Mew was keeping us in."  
"Yeah, Max told me there was a cage in the room where he found you, but we couldn't figure out why you weren't in it. I guess that explains it. Mew must've been keeping you from teleporting. The fight probably made him lose control."  
"That's probably what happened."

Liz slowly got up and went with Blake to check on their son. He was still in deep sleep, snoring lightly.

"Blake..."  
"Yes?"  
"Thank you."


End file.
